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We're here to make life a little better. Your generosity means kids like Niko don't have to face cancer or serious blood disorders alone. Give Today Niko, 5 Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia better. How we help our families: Community & Connection Fighting cancer can be an isolating experience. We helped our kids and families build meaningful connections throughout 2023 with more than 100 program events. Educational Support On average, kids miss 43 days of school during their first year of treatment. In 2023, we helped more than 500 patients return to school with the support they need to be successful. Financial Assistance Half of all families with a child in treatment will experience severe financial hardship. In 2023, we helped families stay afloat with more than $250,000 to cover everyday expenses. Get Support Through your generosity, we've been able to provide Assistance, Support, and Kindness to thousands of people in our community impacted by childhood cancer. People like parents Russ and Jenny, and their 11-year-old son, Gavin, who was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma. ​ Meet this amazing family as they share their story and see how your support provided the care and community they needed to make it through the impossible. See More Impact 6-7 children are diagnosed with cancer every week in Virginia. Let’s give them a hand and help make life better any way we can. How to Get Involved > What's new? Meet ASK Kid Nikola Jun 26 Meet ASK Kid Caelan Jun 13 Meet ASK Kid Adrienne May 29 See More Posts Connect with ASK Facebook Instagram YouTube Linkedin Flickr TikTok Twitter Stay Connected with ASK

OUR PEOPLE PEOPLE A community of care you can count on. ASK Staff Leadership Team Amy Godkin Executive Director agodkin@askccf.org ext. 102 Rachael Schrinel Director of Philanthropy rschrinel@askccf.org ext. 103 Tina Carter Director of Programs tcarter@askccf.org ext. 110 Barbara Snuggs Director of Finance & Administration b snuggs@askccf.org ext. 115 Program Team Alma Morgan Associa te Director of Education amorgan@askccf.org e xt. 117 Kimberly Stroud, MSW Family Support Manager kstroud@askccf.org ext. 106 Denice Grawe Prog ram Administrator dg rawe@askccf.org ext. 104 Michelle Jarnagin-Johnson Young Adult Support Coordinator mjohnson@askccf.org ext. 107 Kim Stroud Jessica Harris Program Events Coordinator jharris@askccf.org ext. 114 Katie Barber Child Life Specialist kbarber@askccf.org ext. 109 Children's Hospital of Richmond at VC U Rev. Rich Catlett, BCC Chaplain rcatlett@askccf.org ext. 108 Children's Hospital of Richmond at VC U Jon Longenecker Education Support Navigator jlongenecker@askccf.org ext. 113 Children's Hospital of Richmond at VC U Katie Barber Rich Catlett Amy Fender Education Support Navigator afender@askccf.org ext. 119 Carilion Children's Grant Pavlik Education Support Navigator gpavlik@askccf.org ext. 118 Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters Lisa Meares Education Support Navigator lmeares@askccf.org ext. 122 Inova Schar Cancer Institute Kristen Lahocki First STEP Preschool Teacher klahocki@askccf.org Tammy Long Fredericksburg Tutor tlong@askccf.org ext. 123 Development Team Hanna Gardner Associate Director of Marketing hgardner@askccf.org ext. 125 Kelsey Olszewski Associate Director of Development kolszewski@askc cf .org ext. 105 Matt Gordon Content Marketing Manager mgordon@askccf.org ext. 111 Sarah Kelly Development Operations Coordinator skelly@askccf.org ext. 116 Caitlin Glauser Special Events Coordinator cglauser@askccf.org ext. 129 Danielle Hottle Grant Writer dhottle@askccf.org ext. 128 Administration Dayana Bjorkman Office Manager dbjorkman@askccf.org ext. 101 Bailey Harlow Advocacy Coordinator bharlow@ask ccf.org ext. 127 ASK Board of Directors Robert Westermann President Hirschler Fleischer Meg Garner Vice President VPM Media Corp. Gina Honeycutt Secretary and Parliamentarian NBC-12 John Pfisterer Treasurer​ SuperNet, Inc. Leslie Armstrong VCU Medical Center ​ Scott Armstrong Past President Old Dominion Insulation Marc Che atham Office of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine ​ Tim Cosgrove Past Presi dent Colonial Suburu ​ Makisa George Berkshire Hathaway ​ Leslie Griles LGImpressions, In c. Kim Keno Capital One ​ ​Steve McCoy Past President Patient First ​ ​ Kesha Oates Anthem ​ ​ Tim Parent Mungo Homes ​ Connis Tennessee Community Volunteer ​ John Waters Biringer Builders Melissa White Northwestern Mutual Isaac Wright Financial Dynamics & Associates, Inc. Join the Team As we aim to grow our impact, we also need to grow our team. Click below to learn about our open positions! Learn More

PROGRAM EVENTS RICHMOND REGION EVENTS Richmond Region The following educational and social events are offered to ​families with patients, survivors and siblings enrolled with ASK in and around Richmond . ASK program events are always free to attend! Our Upcoming Events: Sign Up Family Pool Party Date: July 14 Time: 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM Place: Hallsley Club House 3900 Brightwalton Rd, Midlothian, VA 23112 Join us for a fun evening of swimming and enjoy a BBQ dinner! End the evening with a visit from Kona Ice! Sign Up Kids Art Class Date: July 27 Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Place: The Art Factory 4810 Market Square Lane, Midlothian, VA, USA ASK Kids and siblings ages 5-12 are invited to join us at the Art Factory for a painting class. Parents are welcome to hang out in the cafe area while kids paint. Sign Up Richmond Back to School Event Date: August 3 Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Place: The ASK Family Center 5211 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA, USA Come and meet members of our education and program team and get a backpack filled with supplies to start your school year off right. Sign Up Teen Cooking Class Date: August 9 Time: 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Place: Young Chefs Academy 2230 John Rolfe Parkway, Ridge, VA, USA Join us for a cooking class just for our Middle and High School kids. We will cook dinner and dessert! Sign Up Kindermusic Class Date: August 11 Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Place: Melody Magic Music Studio 3041 Lauderdale Drive, Henrico, VA, USA Join us at Melody Magic Music Studio for a Kindermusic Class! This event is for kids aged 1-5 and space is limited. Sign Up SAT Prep Date: August 12 - 16 Time: TBD Place: Virtual ​ Rising Juniors and Seniors have the opportunity to join us for a private class hosted by the Richmond Academic Institute to prepare for the SAT. The class is virtual but please register by August 1st to receive your hard copy of the workbook. Sign Up ASK Night at the Diamond Date: September 7 Time: Picnic starts at 4:30 PM, Game starts at 6:05 PM Place: The Diamond 3001 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, VA, USA Join us for dinner and a baseball game. ASK Kids will be honored throughout the game included a special lap around the bases! Families can choose to attend the game only. Back to Events Overview COVID-19 Policy: ASK social events and programs are now open to families with a child currently in active treatment. To keep our immunocompromised populations as safe as possible, indoor mask requirements will be decided based upon the CDC Covid-19 Community Level for the locality in which the event will take place, and will be disclosed prior to each event. For the full policy, click here.

Adrienne’s positive energy and smile light up every room she enters. Right away, you wouldn’t know that Adrienne lives with chronic pain and has spent countless nights in the hospital fighting complications from Sickle Cell Anemia, an inherited group of blood disorders that causes the red blood cells to form in a sickle shape. Diagnosed at birth, Adrienne doesn’t know any other way of life and is very comfortable navigating pain meds, hospitalizations, and ER visits – but her mom just wants her to be a typical teenager. “Adrienne is very active in church and loves to sing and dance,” laughs her mom, Gisele. “Her cousins and siblings are her best friends, and she loves to go to school when she can and hang out with her friends at church. But ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation is our backbone, and the staff and other ASK families are our extended family. They feed us emotionally, spiritually and physically in the good times and the bad. I truly don’t know what we would do without them!” Gisele describes the time that Adrienne spent more than 15 days on a ventilator as “the most devastating time in [her] life,” but ASK’s financial support allowed her to stay in the hospital with her daughter, providing meals and paying some bills so that Gisele could focus on Adrienne. When Adrienne is feeling well, she loves to participate in ASK’s many family events and programs , like camps, Flying Squirrels games, trips to the zoo, and ASK’s annual Holiday Party.  “ASK is always here for our family and provides anything we need, even furniture. If they don’t have it, they can find it!" - Gisele, Adrienne's mom "From the time Adrienne was two and participated in the ASK preschool program and all through her journey, ASK has provided for us, cared for us, and educated us on Sickle Cell,” Gisele continues. “This has empowered me to be an advocate in my community to raise awareness about the disease.” “ASK changes lives for families who are going through horrific ordeals, whether it’s Sickle Cell Anemia or childhood cancer. They let the child be a child, despite their circumstances. Sickle Cell affects every major organ in the body and is not for the weak. Thankfully, ASK is our partner and will never leave us. We are family for life!”

ASK mom Jeongeun is no stranger to cancer. She’s a cancer survivor herself, so when her three-year-old son, Caelan, stopped running and complained of pain in his legs, instinct told her that something was wrong. Jeongeun took Caelan to the doctor for a routine checkup, but they said he was fine. Over the next six months and several more trips to the doctor, she got the same response. Thankfully, Jeongeun followed her gut and took Caelan to a different doctor who did a simple blood test that revealed the true cause of his illness: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Jeongeun was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant with Caelan, so he was induced prematurely. “I had so much guilt over this, like I did something wrong in pregnancy and introduced this chaos into my child’s life,” remembers Jeongeun. “We were so cautious as I finished chemo and Covid exploded, and then Caelan was diagnosed. As everyone else was slowly coming out of the Covid bubble, we had to go back in. It was very difficult emotionally. Fortunately, we had the folks of the ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation to guide us through this new challenge in our lives.” “Katie, ASK’s Child Life Specialist, visited Caelan’s hospital room in the early days of diagnosis and has never left our side,” Jeongeun explains. “In the beginning, Caelan was so scared to go to Clinic, but Katie worked hard to combat his anxiety and now he actually looks forward to going to Clinic. The psychological support from the counseling team has been vital to his health and to the emotional health of his older sister; she had a very difficult time with his diagnosis, but the team taught her how to cope with this challenging situation." "ASK helps the entire family, and I think this is one of its distinguishing features from other cancer support organizations.” - ASK mom Jeongeun After initial intense chemotherapy, Caelan went into remission. Now five years old, he will continue a daily oral maintenance chemo and traditional chemo for another year – alongside his father, who is currently going through treatment for melanoma. Clinic visits will remain a part of their lives for years to come, but Caelan and his family will be supported by ASK forever. Throughout every upcoming grade in school, as he enters young adulthood, and eventually, as he starts his career, ASK will be there with the financial, educational and community resources, programs and support he needs to thrive. “A childhood cancer diagnosis impacts the whole family,” Jeongeun continues. “Throughout this experience, Caelan has remained so happy, but I see the struggles he will face with his body and emotions and possibly learning.  We are so grateful to ASK for its continued support and the strength they provide us.”

Nikola’s family stays positive, even on the toughest days of treatment. “To anyone out there, we want you to know that we are stronger than childhood cancer,” says Nikola’s dad, Jorge. “Even on the worst days, we have hope that tomorrow will be better. Each day, we are stronger than the day before, and we are reminded that our focus should be on our family.” When five-year-old Nikola – Niko, for short – began feeling lethargic and complaining of joint pain, his parents knew something was wrong. After several doctors’ appointments and a simple blood test, Niko was diagnosed with leukemia (B-Cell ALL). The next few days were a total blur, but Jorge shares that the help they received from ASK during that time kept him and his family feeling grounded and supported. “From the very first days, ASK has been such a blessing,” Jorge remembers. “The emotional support we continue to receive from people who know what we’re going through is invaluable. My wife had to quit work to care for Niko, and ASK was there to provide financial support when we needed it most. And, ASK gives us the opportunity to forget about childhood cancer by planning trips and activities outside of the hospital. We could never express how grateful we are for all of their support.” Niko’s family also appreciates the connections that ASK has allowed them to make with all of the other families they serve. “We realize how lucky we are to have one another to lean on and stand together,” Jorge continues. “When we connect with other families, we know that It’s not just our family going through this struggle. We are reminded to stay strong.” Niko is progressing through treatment, which is at least a two-year process. He is still active and loves to play outside with his older sister, Yaredith. “Niko is happy, in spite of his circumstances,” Jorge laughs. “He reminds us every day that we can fight childhood cancer as a family, and we will win. Thank goodness ASK will be fighting in the trenches with us until childhood cancer is gone forever.”